Clan Rectory

The Clan Rectory stood at the foot of Mount Lijing, hugging the mountain base. It had once been the Li family's grand compound below the heights, flanked and guarded by two side courtyards. The entire estate faced south, laid out in an oblong rectangle. The front yard was an open paved ground of stone bricks. Every single slab had been tamped down by the four Li brothers themselves in the early years—Li Changhu and Li Tongya had laid the bricks, while Li Xiangping and Li Chijing mortared the seams. If one inspected the joints closely, one might still spot the faint, youthful fingerprints left by the Sword Immortal back then. Work done for their own family had been thorough and conscientious, fitted seamlessly together, and had stood through decades of wind and rain without a single gap. Now in his thirties, Li Xiewen had become a grave, upright middle-aged man. Dressed in everyday robes, he stood in the front yard. With Li Xuanxuan in seclusion for cultivation and Li Yuanxiu managing household affairs, Li Xiewen had taken it upon himself to hand over his duties in town to his eldest son, Li Pingyi, and come to serve at the Clan Rectory. Just like the night Li Yesheng had passed Lijing Town into his hands, Li Xiewen had clasped Li Pingyi's hand, and the two had spoken by candlelight through the night. He traced their history all the way from their grandfather Li Yesheng herding ducks along the Meichi River to how illustrious Li Xiewen's branch had become today. Clasping Li Pingyi's hand, Li Xiewen had said in dead earnest: "Our branch has governed Lijing Town for generations. Your grandfather perished alongside Master Xiangping in the lands of the Shanyue, while your father worked with the family master to balance the various houses in Lijing Town and restrain our scions for eighteen whole years. You must remember that the rise and fall of our lineage rests entirely on the young clan head alone. Tread with utmost caution!" Li Pingyi was sharp by nature, having seen all of this unfold before his eyes since childhood. He had known enough to follow closely behind Li Yuanxiu from an early age, so he naturally understood his father's painstaking care. He had assisted Li Yuanxiu in running the household for just over a year now, never once growing slack. Li Xiewen stood waiting in the courtyard. The clan guards coming and going lowered their heads in greeting whenever they saw him, and he responded to each in turn. After waiting for the time it took an incense stick to burn, he saw his eldest son, Li Pingyi, walk out from the inner courtyard and cup his hands. "Inspector, the Clan Rector has come down the mountain. Please follow me." Each held an official post in the Clan Rectory, and the eyes of the entire clan were fixed upon father and son. Naturally, they did not dare address each other as father and son within the compound. Li Pingyi referred to his father by his post in the rectory, "Inspector," while Li Xiewen replied deferentially: "Thank you, Officer." Li Xiewen followed Li Pingyi into the central hall, where many clan guards stood solemnly about. Below the dais knelt two men, stripped to the waist and lashed bloody with thorn whips, the gore splattering the flagstones. Both gritted their teeth, not daring to utter a sound. Greyish-white wooden placards were wedged behind their necks. Li Xiewen looked closely: one read "Molesting a Common Woman," and the other "Graft and Corruption." Seeing that neither seemed to be of their own clan's bloodline, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Bypassing the somber, dim central hall, the rear hall was far brighter. Windows stood open on both sides, letting in beams of sunlight, and soft, glowing lanterns hung alight—seemingly lit with magic power, without a trace of dark soot. At the head of the hall sat a youth of about sixteen or seventeen. His black hair was neatly bound under an emerald jade crown. His sword-like eyebrows rested easy, his facial features ran clean and smooth, and his grey-black eyes turned toward them with a smile. "Hearing that Uncle Xiewen came looking for me, I hurried down the mountain without delay. Forgive me for keeping you waiting so long." "I would not dare! I would not dare!" Seeing his sincere expression, Li Xiewen felt a warmth in his heart, yet he dared not take liberties. In a grave voice, he said, "Bearing the office of Inspector, this subordinate was tasked with overseeing the lesser branches and collateral cultivators. Having recently gathered intelligence, I hurried here to report." "Please speak, Clan Uncle." Li Yuanxiu gave a slight nod. Li Xiewen cupped his hands and continued: "A son of the Chen family has apprenticed under Li Qiuyang, and an arranged betrothal was settled with his sixth daughter. The Chen family has formally aligned with Qiuyang's branch. If this continues..." "My uncle by marriage has already spoken to me of this." Li Yuanxiu waved his hand, clearly having known about it for some time. He chuckled softly and said, "Both my uncle by marriage and Clan Uncle Qiuyang are pillars of our family. This matter is of no concern." Li Xiewen could tell Li Yuanxiu did not wish to pursue the subject, intentionally cutting him short. Saying certain things would only offend people, so he immediately dropped it and moved on: "Currently, our Li family's Yesheng branch counts over six thousand five hundred people, while the lesser branches comprise one thousand two hundred, with eight cultivators in all. The members involved in the feud among the three foreign cultivators have been identified one by one—over six hundred mortals... and three cultivators." "Mm." Li Yuanxiu frowned faintly, pondered for several breaths, and murmured, "Most of these mortals have become in-laws with the foreign cultivators, so being entangled is inevitable..." "As for the family's cultivators, the lesser branches do not live in isolation either. They have their own kin and households, their preferences and grudges, and entangled interests. It is indeed troublesome to untangle." Glancing at Li Xiewen below, Li Yuanxiu said softly, "Clan Uncle, keep an eye out for those among them with good talent, and reassign them to Mount Huaqian to cultivate alongside my uncle by marriage, far from these disputes. The rest are merely people destined to remain trapped in Embryonic Breathing all their lives. If they want to fight, let them fight. In the end, it amounts to nothing more than a handful of ashes. Just post observers to watch them closely. As long as things do not turn too disgraceful, let them be." "Understood." Li Xiewen responded in a deep voice, reported a few other miscellaneous details, and then bowed and withdrew. Only then did Li Pingyi turn toward Li Yuanxiu, asking in a low tone: "Clan Rector, should our people continue fanning the flames...?" "No need. Pull them back." Li Yuanxiu gathered the wooden slips from the desk, took a sip from his teacup, and answered, "If dragged out too long, it will kindle genuine hatred, which would be undesirable. The current intensity is just right—enough to make them grind their teeth in fury, yet helpless to do anything." "The number of cultivators in the family grows daily. Cultivators are not truly detached from earthly desires either; spirit rice and spirit stones are more than enough to make them fight tooth and nail. A struggle among them was bound to happen sooner or later. By nudging it along now, who is treacherous, who is crafty, who is steady, and who is honest all become clear as day. Should real trouble arise in the future, we will have something to reference." Li Pingyi nodded in agreement. Holding a brush, Li Yuanxiu sketched a few marks on the silk cloth before him. He raised a slender brow and said in a low voice: "However, most elders in the family are in seclusion right now, so we must steer things toward stability. Do not disturb the elders. Send a few men to keep a tight watch. If trouble truly brews, issue warnings in advance. If lives are lost, it will look terrible." "This subordinate understands." Li Pingyi cupped his hands. Recalling the reports from the past few days, a thought suddenly crossed his mind. He lowered his voice: "Clan Rector, that member of the Tian clan broke through to the fifth layer of Embryonic Breathing, the Yujing Wheel, and has awakened spiritual sense. Everything around him is perceived with absolute clarity. The clan's scouts nearly gave themselves away several times, so I had no choice but to pull them back first to avoid exposing our hand." "A cultivator at the fifth layer of Embryonic Breathing has already transcended the mundane; they are not easily managed. I have considered this matter as well." Li Yuanxiu laid down his brush, having clearly thought over this concern long ago. He murmured, "Once a cultivator reaches the fifth layer of Embryonic Breathing or its peak, bolstered by their cultivation, they are already beyond ordinary men. The Clan Rectory cannot keep them in check." "I am considering submitting a petition to Meichi Peak to separate cultivators at the fifth layer of Embryonic Breathing and above from the ordinary masses. Having awakened spiritual sense, leaving them to farm fields is an utter waste. They could venture into the mountains to slay beasts or craft talisman paper, free from the jurisdiction down below." Li Yuanxiu paused, mulling over his thoughts once more before continuing: "It is only that the cultivators in our family who have awakened spiritual sense are still too few, making it hard to form a separate organization. But once the foreign cultivators in our family steadily mature, this matter will inevitably have to be brought out into the open." "The Young Clan Head's consideration is wise."